Regurgitation of mitral valve

Heart health and blood vessels
1

7 years ago I had to have knee surgery after a car accident that was not my fault. I ended up in hospital with a blood infection called MSSA which damaged my mitral valve. I have had yearly heart scans since then. This time the cardiologist was different and asked me how I was feeling. I told him I was sleeping a lot and I needed to sleep during the day. He decided to take a blood test that shows how much strain the heart chamber where the regurgitation is. I have not got the results of this yet. However he has booked me in to have an excersise tolorence test. After 7 years of no problems I think the time has come where they are going to have to give me surgery. This absolutely terrifies me. Does anyone know how far they will let this go before actually giving me the surgery?

Thank you in advance

2

I would think that a better mitral valve would be less of a risk than a really badly faulty valve, go with the cardiologist advice, and or even get a second opinion.

​If you are in England, NZ or Australia, having valves replaced on the national health, is only for the seriously ill, otherwise you wait, they do not waste Govt resources on the patients who not require surgery.

​As I understand it even mitral valve is done now through a small incision in the groin, where they thread a folded mesh valve into your heart, and then use a balloon to inflate, done and dusted in a couple of hours, and home the next day all being well, much bigger improvement on open heart surgery.

​But again listen to the cardiologists, they are the best source of information, go with a list of questions, even if they seem a little silly.

I usually have a half page of questions written out for cardio every time husband visits his cardio, he has heart failure, so a completely different beast, I have found they like you to be taking an interest, rather than just sitting there like a dummy, I have even suggested once would he not do better on a different meds, I had researched it all out, gave him other cardiologists opinion about the meds, printouts on meds, one med v's another, that I found on the internet, dropped names, and his meds were changed as per my suggestion.

WHY WHY WHY, after three years of complaints about side effects had they not considered what I came up with myself, NOT DOING THEIR JOB, or just plain LAZY. 

EDUCATE YOURSELF, I cannot emphzise this enough, it has saved my  husbands life and made his life a lot easier and again ask questions, I am full of questions each and every time we visit the hospital, keep a note book as they occur to me.

3

Hi Lyn, thank you for your reply. I live in England and my cardiologist is lovely. He told me from the start he would want to repair not replace. It was all a bit of a shock when I went as he normally says everything is stable. After checking my blood pressure and listening to my heart he will say ok I’ll see you in a year. However last year I said to him if it start to deteriorate what will happen and he said I will start seeing you in 6 months. However when I got the appointment through last year it was for 6 months so I panicked and rang the hospital and they said I’m really sorry you are right it is for a year so re sent my appointment for the usual March. 

About 5 weeks ago I started feeling really tired and felt like I had no strength in my upper body (I could not do what I normally did) but I never thought of it being my heart and it seems to be progressing really quickly. I have a really strange feeling going down my left arm almost like it is dead and heavy and I’m sleeping a lot more than I ever have. Also I have put over a stone on in weight and I have never been this heavy I have always been quite slight. It started with the infection in which I was told I had infected endocarditis. I think I’m still shocked and it’s taking its toll on me and after my lovely consultant requested bloods and a stress test on treadmill I have convinced myself that things are not going well. I just want to be my usual energetic self where I could get up in the morning and run around until night time but even before my appointment with him I just can not do it. I also have pain down my right side of my neck and into the back of my head which I’ve also had for about 4 weeks which I put down to my sleeping position. I guess I’m just worried as all my other scans have been plane sailing. 

I know my consultant will not let it go too far and have complete faith in him I just do not want to feel like this for very long as it is getting me down. I used to walk my long haired American Akita 5-6 miles a day and I’m lucky if I can walk him to the bottom of the street to the field. 

4

I had my aortic valve replaced when I was 77 with open chest surgery. My valve at that time was 75% closed  I was fully recover in three months apart from having AF as often happens after heart surgery. After the second  day I was refusing the pain killers they ere offering me.

5

How long since you have seen your cardiologist, I think you need to see him ASAP.

​For my husband a sudden change in his weight would trigger alarm bells, that something is not right, especially if he had not been eating a lot of junk food, it is one of the signs things are not going well with his heart, retaining fluid in his lungs and tissue, therefore weight gain.

Are you ankles swollen, and full of fluid, when you press on skin, does it stay indented, if so, don't wait get to hospital, preferably heart hospital if you can, that's what I would do for my husband.

​Pain in upper chest, arms is also something that you should look into I think, you need to report all you have said on this forum to Dr's.

As they told me after infection in sack around heart,  we would have preferred it to have been wind on your stomach, but its not, and you could have died had it got worse, lots of anti-inflammatory meds, and it settled, put down to virus, but I wasn't well for weeks later.

6

Hi Lyn, I seen my cardiologist last week. They took bloods and I got the results on Saturday. NTproBNP was elevated and the scan showed my left ventricular was bigger than the last time. He is arranging an excersise test and then taking it from there. Yes he was concerned about the weight gain. I’m going to see my GP on Tuesday as I’m a little worried about the way I feel. I will just have to wait until I have the excersise test and take it from there.

Thank you for you advise and I’ll keep you updated 

7

Do you have a infection of lungs or even a common cold, please look after yourself.

Lots of vitamin C would be a good idea, I really do believe it helped my husband survive his first and very nearly killer of a dialated cardiomyopathy, caused by a virus they believe, he didn't even appear to have a cold.

​He was craving oranges, so despite fluid restriction the Dr's said we must be strict with, I bought him a 5 kg bag of navel oranges, took him about 3 days to eat the lot, the, each and every time he eats his 5 kg bag, I just buy another now.

​Try to restrict your fluid intake a little, husband was advised 2 litres max a day, sounds like too little, but if it is a very hot day I make sure he tops that up.

I watch his blood pressure if it starts falling, we have an Omron, and Dr has advised me what his blood pressure should be or the range of what it should be, after 46 years of marriage I know when he is not well, and make sure he stops and drinks some more fluid.

​We keep a diary kids school exercise book, of his weight first thing in the morning, just after going to the toilet, and if he is sick I also record his blood pressure and heart rate readings, a number of times the hospital has photocopied my booklet for their records, and I have been complimented on my nursing records.